TEAM_REEF_TEEN

Rugged terrain
Tabitha Clarke, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock, said the water rose quickly between 1:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. A river gauge at Langley, just south of the Camp Albert Pike area, had a peak reading of 23.39 feet — up from 3 feet deep at midnight.

Between 2:45 a.m. and 3:45 a.m., the river rose 8.08 feet and continued to rise, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors the gauge.

The rugged terrain likely kept some campers from reaching safety, Clarke said. Some parts of the valley are so steep and craggy that the only way out is to hike downstream. Any who had taken cars to the camp sites would have been blocked at low-water bridge crossings that are inundated when the rivers rise, she said.

At that time of night, many campers were likely still asleep when their tents began to fill with water, she said.

Gov. Mike Beebe, in Dumas for an economic development announcement, said the deaths occurred about 5:30 a.m., when the water hit its peak. He said he did not plan to visit the site immediately.

“I don’t want to get in the way,” Beebe said. “There is an intense search-and-rescue attempt.”

Weather service readings showed that 7.6 inches of rain fell in the area overnight.